Fall’s a time when the leaves start to change color, temperatures cool down and it’s the perfect opportunity to cuddle up with a great read and your favorite fall drink. Here are 11 new books to accompany you and that PSL during this season.
1. An Address in Amsterdam by Mary Fillmore ($12): Debut author Mary Fillmore serves up a complex, engrossing and gorgeous historical fiction tale. Rachel Klein is optimistic that she can ignore the Nazis when they move to Amsterdam in May 1940. Her city has been the safest place for Jewish people, but when her Gentile boyfriend must leave instead of being arrested by the Nazis, she faces the harsh reality that her life is unfolding. As Rachel battles fear while delivering papers for over a year, she encourages her parents to go into hiding with her. She has no hope of discovering new love as they take refuge in a basement, but she does.
2. London Belongs to Me by Jacquelyn Middleton ($15): Here’s a cozy read to curl up with on the sofa during a chilly fall day. As Alex Sinclair attempts to escape betrayal, she decides to flee the sunshine state of Florida and make the big move to the city of London. Alex believes her new start in London will help to patch old wounds and realize her dream of writing in theater. With only a year’s worth of rent, she must quickly figure out a plan with the help of her British friend Harry. But when a rich, green-eyed rival endangers her dream career and a possible love interest, Alex must decide if London is the right place for her.
3. Commonwealth by Ann Patchett ($17): Set on a beautiful, sunny day in Southern California, Bert Cousins makes an appearance at Franny Keating’s christening, where he shares a kiss with her mother, Beverly. This romantic encounter jump-starts a lasting bond of 50 years between two families and their parents’ strange affection for one another. While in her 20s, Franny has an affair with widely acclaimed author Leon Posen and discloses all the information about her family’s story. Their lives become the basis of his successful book and force them to come to terms with their feelings of loss and remorse.
4. Leave Me by Gayle Forman ($18): Maribeth Klein is a hard working mom who is so engulfed by caring for her husband and twins that she doesn’t even know that she’s had a heart attack. When she realizes her recovery is burdening her loved ones, she decides to just pack up and leave. But oftentimes when we get to our destination, we are able to assess our lives from a different viewpoint. Being free of her life’s daily demands and with the help of new friends, Maribeth is able to come to terms with secrets she has been keeping from everyone, including herself.
5. First Rodeo by Judy Hennessy ($12): Kate is a workaholic, single mother in her 30s that lives to please everyone, especially her controlling boss who happens to be her father. But when an unexpected crisis at work occurs, it forces Kate to reevaluate her life, taking her son with her to a place where high-heeled city slickers rarely travel: Wyoming. There, she encounters a 20-something-year-old sexy bull rider with a passion for training horses. His big dream replenishes Kate’s old hopes of becoming an artist and she jumps on, preparing for a romantic ride she’ll never forget. Get your cowgirl boots ready for this exciting new series!
6. Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris ($16): This is a fast-paced thrilling read that pairs perfectly with a PSL because you’ll want to stay up all night reading! Jack and Grace just seem to have it all. He is a handsome and wealthy attorney who has never lost a single case. Grace is a fantastic homemaker that adores her disabled younger sister and is the definition of charm and elegance. These newlyweds appear to have everything together from the outside looking in. You’d like to know more about Grace, but you can’t because you realize her and Jack are inseparable. You start to wonder why she’s never available for coffee, even though she doesn’t have a job. You question why she never answers the phone. And why are there such heavy-duty metal shutters on all the windows downstairs? Some might say it’s true love, but no one knows what really goes on once their dinner party guests have gone and the front door closes.
7. The Wonder by Emma Donoghue ($18): Anna O’Donnell is an 11-year-old girl who believes she is living off manna from heaven and drawing crowds from all different places to her cabin. When journalist Lib Wright, a veteran of Florence Nightingale’s Crimean campaign, is assigned to watch over Anna, it becomes a tale of two strangers who change each other’s lives.
8. The Witch House of Persimmon Point by Suzanne Palmieri ($10): Byrd Whalen returns home only to uncover secrets that threaten a legacy she loves and holds dear. She discovers the dark and twisted history of the Amore women and she begins to question everything she’s ever known. In 1890, the Amore family matriarch, Nan, is sent to America with a baby, where she soon finds work with the Green family. Her new life is free and comforting as she finds that the Green family shares her interest in magic. But when a tragedy that destroys the mansion and everyone inside leaves Nan alone and pregnant, she rebuilds the house from the ground up and it becomes a place for both terrible and wonderful memories. It becomes “The Witch House.”
9. The Ballroom by Anna Hope ($23): In Yorkshire, England in 1911, Ella Fay finds herself a reluctant patient at the Sharston Asylum after a moment of disobedience in the factory where she worked. Ella knows that she does not belong there, but she may have to play the game of insanity in order to try to gain her freedom. John Mulligan is a grief-stricken patient mourning the death of his child. When Ella runs into him during her attempt to escape, she stumbles upon the ballroom where the men and women are allowed to come together every Friday evening and dance. There, Ella and John begin secret communication that turns into love and the road to redemption. But this road could have terrifying consequences, as it goes against one doctor’s ambitions to make his mark in eugenics, no matter what it takes.
10. In the Heart of Texas by Ginger McKnight-Chavers ($12): If you’re looking for a laugh-out-loud comedy that tackles family, fame, race and pop culture, we introduce you to debut author Ginger McKnight-Chavers! Jo Randolph, a 41-year-old soap star, has been free of the waitressing life since she left Texas at 18. But in just one day, she manages to lose her job, destroy her connections in Hollywood and burn down her director’s beach house. She’s then sent back to Texas to figure out what to do next. There, she unwillingly reconnects with family, friends and her Texas roots. She begins to rediscover herself as an artist and learn to finally take on adult responsibilities that she’s succeeded in avoiding for 40 years.
11. Mischling by Affinity Konar ($16): In 1944, the Zagorski twins, Pearl and Stasha, arrive at Auschwitz with their mother and grandfather as they become part of the experimental twin population known as Mengele’s Zoo. They take comfort in their identical natures and shared interests from childhood. But while in the zoo, they are stripped of their personalities and burdened with pain. That winter at a concert, Pearl disappears. Stasha grieves over her sister’s disappearance but is hopeful she is still alive. After the Red Army liberates the concentration camp, Stasha begins her journey with another twin, Feliks, as they travel through Poland. They encounter starvation, Jewish resistance fighters and other refugees as the notion of Mengele being brought to justice fuels their determination.
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(Featured photo via Getty)
